A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Historica 8. (Szeged, 2005)

ORBÁN Imre: Szokás vagy jogtalan haszonszerzés. Kalákaengedélyek körüli bonyodalmak a 19. század végi Makón

IMRE ORBÁN CONVENTION OR ILLEGAL PROFIT CONFUSION ABOUT PERQUISITES IN MAKÓ AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY Widely debated investigations were made in Makó at the turn of the 20

th century. At the time Makó was the seat of Csanád County, as well as a highly populated settlement. The issue spread as far as Prime Minister Kálmán Széli, who was at the same time Minister of the Interior. A perhaps 'innocent' victim of the issue was István Vajda, Vice Constable of Makó. Through the course of investigations a part of public life still uncontrolled was revealed to the community. Namely the abuses around the regular practice of issuing permissions for the so called 'kaláka' work — i.e. voluntary co-operative work — were questioned in 1899. It turned out that it was not only Vice Constable Vajda who accepted illegal earnings whilst in office, but also his other colleagues did so. Through analysing the issue, the office atmosphere in Makó at the end of the 19 century is also revealed. It may be seen how the administrative elite, as well as a group of inhabitants — namely those leading co-operative work — reacted in relation to the case. The question of taking co-operative money illegally gained a wider perspective in the history of Makó. Things were not all in order in the city at the turn of the 20

th century. Parallel to Vajda's case a disciplinary action was taken against György Széli, the Mayor. This case was threatening with a rather negative end in prospect. The editorial in the local Makói Hírlap on 28

th June 1900 appeared with the title 'It is done. Its opening is sensational: György Széli will never come back to Makó as mayor. This statement is reasoned as well in the following lines: 'All the mistakes and negligence he made in the last two years of his office, as well as the practice of the officials subordinated to him, led to distrust. His stubbornness defending his accused colleagues with solidarity for a long time, only made his situation even worse.' One of the guilty officers the Mayor defended with solidarity could have been Vice Constable, István Vajda. The fact that the issue was so unsettled made György SzélTs situation difficult in any case. Mayor Széli finally left his office with reference to health reasons in autumn 1900.